


boom, boom, boom of your heart

by allwritenow



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Doppelgangers and Vampires don't exist, F/M, Family, Friendship, Mystery, Or do they?, Romance, Very AU, Violence, dun dun dun, it's a mystery folks!, probably minimal angst despite the genre, very self-indulgent tbh, warning: there's a stalker and it will probably get a bit dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25064704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allwritenow/pseuds/allwritenow
Summary: Elena Gilbert, successful author, has a menacing individual stalking her every move and delivering cryptic threats via bloodstained notes. Tired of living her life in fear, she hires Elijah Mikaelson, professional security expert, to find and eliminate the threat.
Relationships: Background Caroline Forbes/Stefan Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett/Vincent Griffith, Elena Gilbert/Elijah Mikaelson, background Lexi Branson/Bree, background Rebekah Mikaelson/Marcel Gerard, minor mentions of other pairings - Relationship
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from Kill of the Night by Gin Wigmore
> 
> I probably shouldn't be posting a new story, one that's not one of the two I've already been working on, but I'm having fun and couldn't resist.

“Elijah,” Rebekah called out, waving at him as he passed her office. “We have a high priority client that just called, so I bumped Mr. Fell to Wednesday and set you up to meet with her at three o’clock.”

Elijah quirked his lips at his sister as he leaned against the edge of her office door. “Mr. Paranoid won’t like that.”

Rebekah rolled her eyes. “Yes, well, I think we can pretty much guarantee that no hooligans or hauntings will trash his estate before Wednesday.”

“I’m sure we could arrange to change that,” Elijah said dryly, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket. “We have enough of them in the family.”

“Are you pretending you’re exempt from that sort of behavior?” his sister asked with mock sweetness, then ignored his severe look in response. “My favorite author is in need of assistance with security issues, and she was referred to us by her bodyguard.”

“Wait, that Gilbert woman? With those dramatic paranormal novels you devour like a starving woman?” Elijah asked, arching an eyebrow.

Rebekah leaned back in her chair and smirked at him. “You mean the novels I caught you stealing from my bookshelf last Yule? Yes, those.”

He refused to take the bait and offered her a calm shrug. “I can enjoy a talented author regardless of the genre.”

She fluttered her fingers at him and laughed. “Yes, yes, we all know you actually like reading overly political Russian literature, you weirdo. Anyways, you’ll be meeting Ms. Gilbert and her bodyguard at her agent’s office downtown. I already texted you the address and other pertinent information.”

“Do you want me to get you an autograph?” he asked tauntingly as he straightened. 

Rebekah shook her head and grinned at him. “I was already promised an advanced copy of her next book, an _autographed_ copy, if we can solve her problem. So get cracking and maybe I’ll let you read it.”

Ever the picture of maturity, Elijah ignored his sister’s taunt. As he left her office, he pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through the messages until he found her text. It was time to meet Ms. Gilbert, solve whatever her problem was, and discover if she was as intriguing in person as the mind behind her novels suggested.

~

Elijah straightened his suit jacket, momentarily amused at the difference between his attire and what people expected of a security professional. Niklaus fit the bill more readily than he did, with his fondness for leather jackets. But security work, good security work, wasn’t about swagger and toughness. It required patience, determination, and a balance of careful observation and decisive action. Only the latter fell into his brother’s strong suits, which was why Elijah met with the clients and made the initial steps in their cases. 

Approaching the building, briefcase in hand, he pressed the buzzer for admittance and waited. He felt almost impatient for once, which surely had nothing to do with the warm brown eyes of the woman whose picture was in the back of each of her books. The door swung open, interrupting his descent into irrationality, and he stepped forward, nodding at the door guard.

A woman in a blue suit was waiting for him and held out her hand with a professional smile. “Hello, you must be Mr. Mikaelson. I’m Ms. Sommers, Ms. Gilbert’s agent, and aunt. She and Ms. Branson are in my office.”

“Ms. Branson?” Elijah asked in surprise after shaking her hand.

Ms. Sommers nodded and turned to walk down the hall, gesturing for Elijah to follow. “Yes, Alexandra Branson; she said that she knew you, but didn’t specify how?”

“It’s a long story,” Elijah said with a crooked smile, agreeing with Lexi that the details of their first meeting, involving his brother and her best friend sharing a jail cell, were best left unexplained. “I had no idea she’d moved to the west coast.”

“She’s proven invaluable to Elena, as a guard and a friend,” Ms.Sommers stated. “If you prove to be as helpful, we will be most grateful.”

“So what exactly is the problem?” Elijah asked as they came to a halt, more than curious about the lack of details provided so far. It was in his nature, and his occupation, to dig for information, and there had been a decided lack of it in his sister’s text.

“I think I’ll let Elena tell you that,” Ms. Sommers answered with a grim smile. “She’s right through this door. If you’ll excuse me, I have to take a call from one of my other clients.”

“Of course,” Elijah said with a polite nod, then turned and faced the wooden door, genuinely pleased to see Alexandra again. The vibrant blonde had become one of his rare true friends, once they’d bonded over the frustrations of dealing with family, chosen or blood. Turning the knob, he pushed open the door to reveal Elena Gilbert sitting behind a stately redwood desk, Alexandra standing next to it, arms folded over her chest and a familiar smirk tilting her mouth. “Hey, Mikaelson.”

“Hello, Alexandra,” Elijah responded, one corner of his mouth curving upward as he turned to face their mutual employer. “Hello, Ms. Gilbert.”

“Hello, Mr. Mikaelson,” she responded with a tired smile. “Have a seat, and feel free to chat with Lexi; I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.”

“Don’t worry about it, Elena, I’ll just make him take me for drinks later when Caroline takes over. We owe each other more than a five-minute chat,” Alexandra said with a warm glance at Elena and a grin at him.

Elijah chuckled as he settled into the plush armchair positioned in front of the desk, wishing it was slightly less comfortable. “Most definitely. I believe I owe you some top-shelf whiskey.”

“And I owe you some bottom-shelf tequila shooters,” Alexandra said with a wink, startling a full smile out of Elijah, and a silent note of approval at how clearly comfortable a relationship she shared with Elena Gilbert. Turning his attention back to the woman in question, he let his smile fade into a more professional mien.

“So, Ms. Gilbert, why do you need a security specialist?”

She sighed, her own smile fading into a look of pure exhaustion. “I have long been aware of the need to take precautions, Mr. Mikaelson. There were a few incidents with a religious group that has taken offense to my books after the first two were published, and since then I have installed a very thorough security system as well as using Lexi’s services for events on the recommendation of my agent,” she said with a nod at the blonde.

Folding her hands together on the desk, he could see the tension in her shoulders. “I thought that would be enough, but last year the group got a little too enthusiastic in their denouncements and one of the faithful decided to take matters into his own hands. And a gun. After that, I hired Lexi full time and have hired a security patrol for my entire neighborhood in addition to paying for the gate system to be updated.”

She paused, tapping a file folder on top of the desk before sliding it toward him. “Then, six months ago, I started getting these. The one on top was the first. I get very strange and occasionally very unpleasant mail, but this one seemed different, as was the fact that it was delivered to my doorstep and not by the postman.”

Elijah opened the file and looked down at the first letter. The paper was heavy parchment, but the words were apparently cut out from a regular paperback book and pasted on. The content wasn’t too surprising, just the usual cryptic rhetoric heavy with supernatural leanings, but the signature stood out. It was mostly faded and dark brown, but he had seen blood often enough to recognize the real thing. “Did you go to the police?”

She nodded. “I’ve faithfully reported everyone one I’ve received, including the one left on the steering wheel of my car in my garage, and the one that fell out of a menu one night when I went to dinner.”

Elijah’s eyes widened and then narrowed and he leaned forward in the chair. That sort of escalation definitely indicated a dangerous level of obsession. And the level of access the stalker was able to achieve, well. It was a good thing she’d come to the Mikaelson firm. “What have the police found?”

“Not much. Anonymous notes and payments to otherwise innocent accomplices, never anything on camera and not a trace of a fingerprint or DNA other than the blood, which isn’t human.”

Elena shook her head, her hair shifting to obscure part of her face. “I don’t have very much respect for the police, even though I am lucky enough to have the pull to warrant their attention. So I hired a second bodyguard, one that to the world at large is my new publicist. I guard my privacy. I take every precaution I can without locking myself in a steel room, but those are all defensive measures, Mr. Mikaelson.”

Leaning her elbows onto the desk, she tucked her hair out of her face, her eyes boring intently into his. “I’m tired of playing defense, I’m tired of being the victim. I want to go on the offense, take this game to the sick freak trying to ruin my life and see how they handle it. I was told you might be able to help with that.”

Elijah smiled slowly and nodded. He liked Elena Gilbert, he liked her a lot more than he should honestly, and she definitely deserved some peace of mind. “Yes, I can help with that.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been ages, but been writing a lot more lately and hope to have more soon.
> 
> Also check the instagram edits it took me WAY too long to make but that I am very proud of!

“Bonnie!” Elena exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her best friend and squeezing as tight as she could. “I missed you so much.”

Bonnie squeezed her right back, resting her head against Elena’s shoulder. “I missed you too. I am never going on tour again.”

Elena laughed and pulled back, studying her friend’s tired, but glowing, face for a moment. “I don’t believe that for a second, Bonnie Bennett. You cannot deny the masses the wisdom of modern witchcraft’s brightest star. Your instagram would riot.”

Her best friend made a face. “Yeah, well, the money’s nice, but if one more Karen treats me like her personal Tituba, _I’m_ going to riot. Giving them tarot readings on instagram is a lot less work than pretending I care about their ‘traumatized auras’ in person.”

Letting out a cackle, Elena hugged her again. “I love you. I’m so glad you’re home. Caroline is just too high-energy to help me keep perspective.”

“I thought you had Lexi for that,” Bonnie teased, shooting a wink at the blonde who was carefully guarding their reunion scene in the middle of the airport.

Elena flapped her hands dismissively. “She’s _too_ chill. I don’t think she understands the concept of stress.”

Lexi chuckled. “Trust me, Elena, I understand stress. But I’m definitely glad you’re back, Bonnie; I’m less likely to catch this one pacing at three in the morning and yelling at her laptop.”

Elena grimaced. “Sometimes the story won’t cooperate with me and I have to make it see things my way.”

Her best friend giggled, and looped her left arm through Elena’s, picking up her bag with her other hand. “I feel the same way about the tarot deck, except there is nothing I can do to make it see things my way. I don’t tell the Karens that though.”

“And that’s why you are the darling of the mystical-obsessed masses who have no idea how actually awesome you are.”

“Speaking of obsessed people,” Lexi said dryly, interrupting their moment. “Can we please get you out of the middle of a crowded airport? You’re supposed to meet Elijah back at the house to go over security there and show him the footage of the nights the notes were left.”

“Elijah?” Bonnie asked curiously, looking up at Elena as they started to walk toward the exit. “Who’s that?”

Elena scrunched her nose up. “He’s the security expert Lexi recommended, the one that will hopefully hunt down that asshole and get rid of them once and for all.” He was also incredibly handsome, charming, and made her stomach flutter when he said her name. It was very inconvenient.

“Good,” Bonnie said sharply, squeezing Elena’s arm with her own. “I want to see the sick fuck burn in whatever hell exists for putting you through this.”

“Me too,” Elena murmured. “Me too.”

“If anyone can do it, Elijah can,” Lexi told her in a reassuring tone, though her eyes never stopped scanning the people around them. “He’s relentless and very good at his job. You’re in good hands.” She grinned. “I’m only worried you’ll replace me when he gets done.”

“Never,” Elena said with a renewed smile. “You’re family now and you’re stuck with us, high stress levels and all.”

~

Elena ran her hands through her hair, pulling it into a high ponytail she knew she’d end up taking down and redoing at least half a dozen times in the next hour. Now that she was actually doing something proactive about this damn stalker, she was restless and impatient and just wanted to get it done. She felt like she hadn’t had a life since that first note appeared on her doorstep, and she was tired of feeling suffocated in her own skin. No one had that right to take her sense of freedom and security away like this, to make her feel fear in her own home. She growled under her breath and then looked up in surprise when she heard an amused chuckle.

“Is this part of the creative process that Alexandra was telling me about?” Elijah Mikaelson asked her from where he loomed in her office doorway, his dark eyes glinting with amusement.

She chuckled ruefully and shook her head, already reaching up to fidget with her ponytail. “No, that’s part of the process I like to call ‘Imagining 1000 Ways for my Stalker to Die a Painful Death.’” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Maybe Jenna will publish it if I pitch it right.”

Elijah smiled at her, a crooked thing that lifted only one side of his mouth. “I’d read it.”

Struck with the sudden urge to ask if he’s read any of her books, she bit down on it, not sure if she actually wanted the answer, and waved a hand in a general encompassing of her home office. “You wanted to walk through the house?”

He nodded, smile fading into a professional mien that was no less attractive but helpful for calming the roiling stew of her emotions. “Yes, and review your security footage for the twenty-four hours before and after each incident.”

Elena grimaced. “I hope you don’t want my company for the full watch, but you’re welcome to review it here or take copies with you. I still have a guest room available and you can use my office if needed.”

Lexi stayed with her, and had a room although she only used it when Caroline was on duty. Bonnie had moved in with her when all this started, moral support and a transition phase between the end of her last lease and her inevitable move-in with Vincent. Well, Elena thought it was inevitable, the two of them, while adorably in love, were agonizingly slow when it came to official relationship milestones. Not that Elena was going to complain about living with her best friend for as long as she could keep her.

Elena didn’t like being alone. And not just because of her stalker. Even as a child she’d hated being the only one in a room, always seeking out her parents, or Jeremy after his birth. Her early years had been plagued by nightmares whenever she had to sleep alone at night, although therapy and time had helped. But then her parents had died in high school and it all flared back up again. She’d put off college until Jeremy graduated, and gone to the same university he chose. Moving to California had only been partly about her career and living closer to Aunt Jenna, and more about following Bonnie, since Jeremy had gently but firmly made it clear that she couldn’t be his big sister shadow for the rest of his life.

Getting her own house had been one of the bravest things she’d ever done, and she deeply resented the stalker for stealing all her progress and pushing her into a life controlled by fear.

Elijah shook his head, bringing her out of her funk. “I won’t impose on you for that long, copies will be fine.”

Elena nodded and then pushed her chair back, finally standing up. “Well, let’s get the tour started.”

It didn’t take long, her house was nice, but far smaller than the colonial home she’d grown up in. Technically only one story, and only four bedrooms because she’d converted the attic into her room. While her books sold well, it was her and Jeremy’s inheritance that enabled her to be a homeowner at twenty-seven, particularly in the expensive suburb she called home, and she hadn’t had the desire for extravagance.

Elijah was professional throughout, kindly taking no notice of the mess her bed was in after the nightmares that had ruined her sleep. He seemed to approve of her security precautions and promised to have an update soon after she left him in Lexi’s hands for the security footage transfer and so the two old friends could catch up.

Leaving them to it, Elena wandered toward Bonnie’s room, relieved to see her door ajar in symbolic welcome. She sprawled onto her best friend’s bed, watching as Bonnie carefully unpacked all of her witchy tools.

“So he’s hot,” Bonnie said casually, not even looking in Elena’s direction as she sorted through a bag of crystals.

Elena flushed, rolling over on her back to stare at the ceiling rather than letting her best friend see by her expression how much she agreed. “And still in the house, so hush.”

Bonnie chuckled, not changing her volume at all. “I’m sure he’s aware of his attractiveness. You should ask him out.”

Reaching for a pillow, Elena blindly tossed it in Bonnie’s direction. “I should let him do his job and you should tell me when Vincent is coming over for your reunion so I can make sure my noise-cancelling headphones are charged.”

There was no audible answer, instead the pillow thwacked against her face and Elena spluttered, grabbing it in a defensive stance as she sat up, only to almost collide with Bonnie’s grinning mien.

“Those are the words of a cornered woman, Elena Gilbert. You think he’s hot, you think he’s capable, and he is literally your knight in shining suit right now. And I’m pretty sure private security doesn’t have ‘don’t date your client’ clauses like bodyguards.” Bonnie arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “And while I know you’ve had cause, it’s been like, two years since you last got laid which is just tragic.”

Elena buried her face in the pillow and groaned. Okay, yes, it had been a while, and Elijah Mikaelson was the first person in a long time to make her libido and her interest take notice. But clause or not, she thought it was a spectacularly bad idea to ask someone out you’d just hired to catch a stalker. Especially for some casual sex after what amounted to only three conversations.

“If you stop talking right now,” she told Bonnie, lifting her head back up. “I promise to ask him out _after_ this is all over.”

Bonnie grinned and offered her a pinkie. “Deal.”

***


End file.
